Odishatv Bureau
Patna: NCP, a component of UPA, on Saturday said the government has committed a "mistake" by accepting anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare`s demands.

"Corruption is undoubtedly a burning issue facing the country ... but I differ with Anna Hazare as the way adopted by the Gandhian leader has not been the right way.

"The way Anna Hazare got his demand conceded I want to be clear is not correct ... and the government has committed a mistake by accepting his demands," NCP General Secretary Tariq Anwar said.

NCP chief and union minister Sharad Pawar had resigned from the Group of Ministers on corruption after Hazare had launched the fast at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

The Centre, Anwar said, has taken steps at all levels to weed out corruption and talks should have been held with it.

"Every citizen of the country has the democratic right to exert pressure on the Centre for conceding one`s demand ...

But not the kind of pressure Hazare thrust upon the Centre."

He said "there was a constitution and law in the country ... There are several other methods through which corruption can be fought effectively" and if such kind of pressure was allowed to continue, people would take to immolation if their respective demands are not met.

Hazare, Anwar alleged, has sent a message to the world through his movement that there is rampant corruption in India "though the picture is different. The country is marching ahead and has emerged as the second largest country in the world after China in economic uplift".

"We all want that the Lokpal Bill should be introduced and passed ... It should infact have come much before," he said adding the JP movement in the 1970s was also against corruption.

The movement had led to the installation of a Janata Party government but no Lokpal Bill was brought or framed at that time. Several other coalition governments came to power after the J P movement but none of them had succeeded in introducing or getting the Lokpal Bill passed, Anwar said.

Hazare should not be compared with Mahatma Gandhi who had never fought for inclusion of his name in a committee.

Hazare, on the other hand, was `restless` to become the chairman of the drafting committee the gazette notification for which was issued by the Centre this morning, he added.

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